Football blocking dummy



Uct. 25, 1932. a. F. (JAKES FOOTBALL BLOCKING DUMMY Filed. Nov. 3, 1930 B. if Cakes gay W Eliza-wag- Patented Oct. 25, 1932 UNITED STATES BERNARD F. OAKES, OF MISSOULA, KONTANA FOOTBALL BLOCKING DUMMY Application filed November 3, 1930. Serial No. 493,059.

My invention relatesto appliances for use in training football players, its main object being the. provision of an improved blocking dummy which is also adapted for use as a tackling dummy.

Another of my objects is the provision of a dummy having an improved body structure for resisting the impacts of the players.

Another object is the provision of a dummy body having yieldable padding and having also means for preventing the slipping or the creeping of the padding.

Another object is the provision of a spring connection which permits freedomof movement to the dummy body but which is surrounded by flexible telescoping sheaths which prevent injury to the players from their coming in contact with the spring. a

One of the more important of the objects is the provision of a dummy which may be placed into any of a number of positions in the field or which may be withdrawn from the field for storage after theseason is over, the primary purpose of the removability being to facilitate the rearrangement of a plurality of dummies in the fieldto provide different kinds of defensive play.

Another object is the provision of a clummy which may be temporarily anchored in the soil in its position in the field in such a way as to obviate the useof any wires or other overhanging structures.

. Still another object is the provision of an improved socket in the soil of the field together with an improved plug for filling the socket after the dummy has been removed from the socket.

Having in view these objects and others which will be pointed out in the following description, I will now'refer to the drawing, in which Figure 1 is a view in median vertical section of the dummy, portions of the interior structure being shown unsectioned.

Figure 2 is a view in elevation of the two aligned tubular members and especially of the telescoping sheaths surrounding the end portions of the tubular members.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing the structure with the sheaths removed and with a portion of the spring sectioned.

Figure at is a diagrammatic view showing the action of the dummy when in use.

Figure 5 is a median vertical sectional view through the socket at the surface of the soil and showing unsectioned the plug which is used for filling this socket.

The backbone of the blocking dummy consists of a cylindrical wooden post 10 which is reinforced by means of one or more iron bands 11 to prevent the splitting-of the post 10 during the rough usage to which the dummy is subjected. The dummy is surrounded by a covering 12 of canvas or other suitable material which. is filled with hair padding 18. This is sufficiently loose to be compressible under the impact of the player with a dummy or under the impact of the dummy with the surface of the soil, the most flexible portion of the paddingbeing at the bottom. In order to prevent the slipping or the creeping of the padding 13 within the dummy, I provide two collars 1 1 and 15 sur rounding and secured to the post 10, the collars being preferably formed of felt strips which are rolled over thepost and which are secured to the post adjacent the upper and lower extremities thereof. The covering 12 is secured directly to the post at the upperextremity of the dummy by means of screws or nails 16.

As shown in Figure 1, the lower end of the post 10 is hollow for receiving a tubular member 17, this being secured to the post by means of a bolt or similar fastening device 18. The tubular member 17 is snug in the opening of the post and it extends to a point but slightly below the central lower point of the dummy body. The tubular member 17 is in alignment with a similar tubular member 19 but the two tubular members are spaced apart as shown in Figure 3. A heavy coil spring 20 is permanently secured at its ends, preferably by welding, to the two tubular members 17 and 19 in the manner shown in Figure 3. The tubular members 17 and 19 with the spring 20 are in effect integral and they constitute a flexible post which tends to maintain its straight line or vertical position. In order to prevent injury to the player from his coming into contact with the metallic spring 20, I provide a pair of telescoping sheaths 21 and 22 secured to the tubular members 17 and 19 respectively. These sheaths are secured to the tubular members by means of clamps 23. The sheaths 21 and 22 are particularly useful in case of the breakage of the spring 20 as they prevent the player from coming into contact with thejagged ends of a broken spring.

The socket for releasably receiving the dummy is best shown in Figures 1 and 5. It consists preferably of a hole which is bored in the soil of the field, a portion of the hole being filled with concrete at 24. The upper portion of the hole is provided with a metal pipe 25, the upper edge of which terminates a short distance below the level of the surface of the soil. The lower portion of the hole in the soil receives the pipe 26 which is somewhat smaller-than the pipe 25, the two pipes being connected by means of the reduced portion 27 of the pipe 26. The pipe 26 must be sufficiently large in diameter to receive the tubular member 19 and both must be sufficiently deep to avoid the upsetting of the dummy when in use.

The-dummy is easily removed from its position in the soil but this leaves an opening in the soil which is apt to interfere with the inconvenient in use and designed for movements of the players and which is liable to cause injury to a player even though the socket is very small in diameter. I there- I fore provide a plug for this socket, the plug being especially designed to simulate the turf of the field. This plug includes a wooden cylinder 28 having first several layers of carpeting at 29 and then a layer of felt at 30 together with one or more straps 31, all of which are secured together by means of nails or other suitable fastening devices 32. The tubular member 33 is similar in structure and function to the tubular member 19 and it is connected to'the block 28 bymeans of a flanged collar 34 which is directly bolted to the block 28 by means of'the bolts 35 or other suitable fastening devices.

By the use of the above described dummy, I make the dummy completely portable so that it may be shifted about from place to place in the field, it being only necessary to provide suitable sockets in the surface of the soil wherever desired. I can thus rearrange the dummies in the field 7 desired formation and I do this without the use of any overhead obstructions which are which are very apt to become broken, resulting in serious in- ]uries to the players and which moreover interfere seriously with overhead passing of the ball. The dummy has been carefully designed to eliminate practically all danger of injuryto the players but it has also been great convenience in the shiftto provide for any ing of the dummies into various formations. When some of the dummies are not in use, all other sockets are closed so that they can in no way interfere with the actions of the players. The plug paddings not only resemble turf during the movements of the players but they are also so inconspicuous in appearance that they do not distract the attention of the player. At the same time these plugs are easily removable as it is only necessary to grasp the straps 31 and to lift them out of their sockets whenever it is desired to position a dummy in a given socket.

Having thus described my invention in such full, clear, and exact terms that its construction and operation will be readily understood by others skilled in the art to which it pertains, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A football field provided with a plurality of sockets for the interchangeable insertion of blocking, dummies having elongated anchors of relatively small cross section whereby a plurality of the dummies may be arranged in any ofseveral defensive positions, each of the sockets having a tubular lining which is wider in its upper portion than in its lower portion, and plugs for the sockets, said plugs each comprising an elongated anchor seating within the lower portion of said lining, ablock secured to said anchor and adapted to seat in the upper portion of said lining, and a covering for said block, said covering simulating theturf of i:

the field in texture and in appearance.

2. A football field provided with a pluralty of sockets for the interchangeable insertion of blocking dummies having elongated anchors of relatively small cross sections whereby a plurality of the dummies may be arranged in any of several defensive positions, each of the sockets having atubular lining which is wider in its upper portion than in its lower porton, plugs for the sock ets, said plugs each comprising an elongated anchor seating within the lower portion of said lining, a block secured to said anchor and adapted to seat in the upper. portion of .115

said lining, a coveringfor said block, said covering simulating the turf of the field in texture and in appearance, andv a strap of flexible material projecting laterally from the upper edge of said plug.

3. A football field provided with a plurality of sockets for the interchangeable insertion ofblocking dummies having elongated anchors of relatively small cross section whereby a plurality of the dummies may be i arranged in any of several defensive positions, each of the sockets having a tubular lining which is wider in its upper portion than in its lower portion, plugs for the sock ets, said plugs each comprising an elongated 1', anchor seating within the lower portion of said lining, a block secured to said anchor and adapted to seat in the upper portion of said lining, a cushion above said block, and a covering simulating the turf of the field and positioned above said cushion, said block, cushion and covering being secured together.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

BERNARD F. CAKES. 

